January 02, 2018

hello

Hello, dear reader. It seems strange to be here, like a faint echo, like passing through old, forgotten corridors. I know it's been awhile since I last wrote, partly from the magnitude of a demanding school schedule, partly from the difficulty of life events, but in the last few days several blog comments popped up out of the blue and a lovely note arrived in the mail, reminding me of this place and how the vines have grown up over it.

In the past year I've had occasion to wonder about the merits of social media and whether it does more damage than good. One of my original concerns in writing this blog was for the way glossy pictures and a focus on lighter topics can convey a false sense of perfection, an idyllic veneer. While I've never been deluded about the imperfect nature of my life, it seems the road has been particularly rough for my family lately and it's made me feel rather quiet and still. The pity in this is if anything was worth reading here, it would be my thoughts on how to face these bleaker moments. But I recognize the wisdom of privacy, that perhaps we are sometimes better served by keeping our joys and sorrows to a more personal realm.

I'm grateful for the many good things that make life beautiful. My friend recently shared a quote from Martin Luther: God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on the trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars. I've been thinking about this and how it has been profoundly true for me ever since childhood. To this day, the glories of nature assure me of deeper spiritual realities that will outlast the highs and lows that come and go, the steady hum of chaos.

I do think eventually I'll have to make an end to writing here, which is perhaps something of an anti-climatic statement given it's been almost a year since I last wrote. It was a touching surprise to receive your several expressions of warmth, a reminder of what this place has meant to me. It seems fanciful to say aloud, but this did feel like a place and it did seem we visited here as friends.

Comments

hello

Hello, dear reader. It seems strange to be here, like a faint echo, like passing through old, forgotten corridors. I know it's been awhile since I last wrote, partly from the magnitude of a demanding school schedule, partly from the difficulty of life events, but in the last few days several blog comments popped up out of the blue and a lovely note arrived in the mail, reminding me of this place and how the vines have grown up over it.

In the past year I've had occasion to wonder about the merits of social media and whether it does more damage than good. One of my original concerns in writing this blog was for the way glossy pictures and a focus on lighter topics can convey a false sense of perfection, an idyllic veneer. While I've never been deluded about the imperfect nature of my life, it seems the road has been particularly rough for my family lately and it's made me feel rather quiet and still. The pity in this is if anything was worth reading here, it would be my thoughts on how to face these bleaker moments. But I recognize the wisdom of privacy, that perhaps we are sometimes better served by keeping our joys and sorrows to a more personal realm.

I'm grateful for the many good things that make life beautiful. My friend recently shared a quote from Martin Luther: God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on the trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars. I've been thinking about this and how it has been profoundly true for me ever since childhood. To this day, the glories of nature assure me of deeper spiritual realities that will outlast the highs and lows that come and go, the steady hum of chaos.

I do think eventually I'll have to make an end to writing here, which is perhaps something of an anti-climatic statement given it's been almost a year since I last wrote. It was a touching surprise to receive your several expressions of warmth, a reminder of what this place has meant to me. It seems fanciful to say aloud, but this did feel like a place and it did seem we visited here as friends.